1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed to a tablet dispenser for giving out tablets in an individually portioned manner, with a prismatic housing whose base surface has a base opening that is offset toward an end face and whose top surface is open over its entire cross section and whose side surfaces each have a cutout at the top, with an inner part which is inserted into the housing through the open top surface and which is displaceable so as to be limited with respect to lift and comprises a preferably prismatic tablet reservoir space, an essentially vertically oriented tablet discharge shaft being provided at the base of the tablet reservoir space and guided through the base opening of the housing, and including a spring which is supported against the base surface of the housing and a web for limiting lift.
2. Description of the Related Art
Dispensers for giving out tablets in an individually portioned manner by means of a displacement of the inner part into the housing, which displacement is limited with respect to lift, are known, wherein a tablet is discharged through a tablet discharge shaft at the opening on the base side. For instance, a tablet dispenser is described in EP 0 345 413 B1, wherein an individual tablet is dispensed through an opening on the base side in a housing by pressing in an actuating key which is connected with a slide via a centrally arranged actuating shaft. This known dispenser is disadvantageous in that tablet fragments and rubbed off portions exit easily when the dispenser is used and carried, for example, in pockets of clothing, handbags or the like, and accordingly soil the carrying vessel or surroundings.
In order to remedy this disadvantage, it is suggested in GM 296 01 693.4 to arrange gap-closing elements at the housing and at the inner part of a tablet dispenser, wherein the inner part comprises actuating key, slide and connection part. The tablet dispenser known from this reference has a prismatic housing with an open end face and a laterally offset opening in the base surface. An inner part is inserted into the housing from above, this inner part comprising a slide and an actuating key connected by a connection element which, together, form a structural unit in the manner of an inner housing having a tablet reservoir space located in its upper part. By pressing with a finger on the upper part of the actuating key, this inner part is displaced, wherein the slide is slid through the base opening of the housing and releases a tablet. The displacement of the inner part is limited with respect to lift by a crosspiece or web which strikes the housing base during the downward movement of the inner part, so that further downward movement is blocked.
Although gap-closing elements are arranged at the housing as well as at the inner part in this known dispenser, tablet fragments and rubbed off portions can still exit from the dispenser between the side walls of the housing and of the inner part which are displaceable relative to one another when the tablet dispenser is operated, so that the frictional resistance between the side walls sliding against one another can be increased sharply. Further, a liquid film can build up in the narrow gap between the side walls of the housing and of the inner part due to capillary action and, combined with rubbed off tablet portions, can also sharply increase frictional resistance.
In order to prevent bridging within the bulk of tablets, which would impede discharge of an individual tablet, but without shaking the tablet dispenser as is usually done in order to break up formation of bridges, the tablet dispenser known from EP 0 345 413 B1 is constructed with inclined surfaces in the region of the discharge shaft, wherein these inclined surfaces, in combination with the actuation of the slide, provide for an individual discharge of the tablets, so that the risk of breakage of the tablets which is increased by shaking the tablets is reduced.
In order to ensure improved loosening or freeing of the tablets in the upper region of the tablet dispenser also, the housing of the tablet dispenser described in GM 296 01 693.4 is formed at its inside with parallel, vertically oriented ribs projecting inward, wherein these ribs engage in longitudinal slits of the connection element and bring about a loosening of the tablets when the slide moves out of its basic position along the lift out direction into its discharging position.